


Catnap

by heroictype (swanreaper)



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:17:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7368778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanreaper/pseuds/heroictype
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the cat is not, in fact, napping. The boyfriends are sleepy, but It's never to early to appreciate your favorite loaf.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catnap

**Author's Note:**

> Done for an anon-given prompt on tumblr. Cecilos, while Khoshekh was at home with them. Some gay fluff for your Saturday afternoon.

Cecil pressed his face into the pillow, and let it swallow up his waking groan.

Nothing was wrong, of course, except the fact that he was awake. He wasn’t certain when he’d gotten to sleep, but the last set of numbers he’d registered on the clock was 2:17AM, and the light showing through his eyelids was too bright and pale for it to be any time other than too early.

He started to roll over. If he was going to be awake, then he was going to use that consciousness to cling to his boyfriend until one of two things happened: he fell back asleep, or Carlos was awake, too, and could hold him.

Something stopped him, however. A weight on his side, just above his hips. Something flicked against his stomach lightly. He tensed, and scrabbled for the emergency copy of Roald Dahl’s _The Flowers of Evil_ that he kept on his nightstand, as he cast a wary eye up to the threat.

It was a shadowy, shifting form, but incomplete - or, no, not incomplete. But something for which the idea of “complete” now held a new meaning, one with a few less parts than before. The creature continued to tap his tail against Cecil’s stomach with the tip angled away from flesh. He was a clever cat, after all, and humans that were writhing in agony from potent neurotoxins had trouble providing food.

Cecil dropped his head into his pillow again, smiling this time, and let his limp fingers catch on the edge of the nightstand.

"G'morning, little buddy…”

He looked up again, and saw Khoshekh’s head lifted away from the rest of the shadow-loaf, peering down at him with a bright eye. Something about the angle was strange. Well, something about the angle might have been strange, or it might have just been the fact that Khoshekh was a liquid and, like all cats, not bound to the laws of physics. 

Cecil lifted his own head, judging what he hoped would be enough movement to give him a clearer view without disturbing his little friend. 

Yes, that was a strange angle, and it was because Cecil was only bearing half of the cat’s weight. Khoshekh sat like a king, with his body stretched between the radio host and the sleeping scientist, and _oh gosh that was just the cutest thing he’d ever seen_.

“Carlos!” He spoke at a stage whisper, because while he absolutely needed to wake Carlos up, he also really didn’t want to disturb his boyfriend. Carlos was just so cute when he was asleep. As a secondary concern, jolting him awake in a way that would jolt Khoshekh off would end badly all around.

Cecil received no response, anyway. He nudged Carlos’ foot with his own. The foot moved away, and there was a slight mumbling. Probably semi-conscious at best, but a start. Cecil tried again, a little louder, “Carlos! Carlos, wake up, you need to see this!”

“Nnn. No? Need… sleep. Continued sleep. Yes.”

Cecil twisted his head as far as he could, and saw Carlos’ face scrunched up with the curious determination that only a lingering dream allowed. He really wanted to kiss that face. He could do so, but it would involve dislodging their guest. The radio host thought about that, and weighed the pros and cons of the situation. He glanced at Khoshekh again, to be certain of his options.

The cat was licking a paw. Right there, sprawled over both of them. Okay, no. This was important.

“C'mon, trust me, honey. You don’t want to miss this.”

“Mmmm. Okay, okay.”

Carlos shifted, and Cecil cautioned, “Careful. Just look up. There.”

The scientist levered himself into a position where he could see between them, and noted an indistinct, black blob there. “Mmm?” 

He slowly reached for his glasses, and pushed them on. That was when he saw Khoshekh.

“…Oh. Oh, aww! Ceec! How long has he been like that? Oh, my gosh!”

“I know, right? Anyway, he was there when I woke up, I don’t know how long he’d been there before that, but just… look at that face!”

“It’s such a good face! Scientifically speaking, I think it might be the best face! Gosh!”

Of course, now that the furniture was moving, Khoshekh lost interest. He pushed himself upright and, in fact, into the air. He floated over to Carlos’ face, and prodded his cheek with a closed snout. Still, even without the venom sacs exposed, the scientist retreated under the pillow. The fabric muffled a sneeze.

“Khoshekh, no. Not before I’ve had my medicine.”

The cat meowed indignantly, and drifted up to the ceiling in protest.

Cecil sat up, and waved after him, cooing, “Aww, bye, Khoshekh! We love you!”

Then, he ran a hand down Carlos’ side. “He likes you. Well. He’s got good taste, doesn’t he? Mhm." 

Cecil peeled up the pillow just enough to kiss the back of Carlos’ head. He’d only meant to do it once, but Carlos’ hair was so soft, and he couldn’t resist nuzzling closer and kissing him again, and then again. Just for good measure. Then, he said, "Do you want me to grab your medicine for you?”

“Thanks, sweetheart, but no. That would involve waking up, and now that the window of optimal cuteness has passed, I’ve reached a different conclusion.”

“And that is?”

“Oh. I don’t want to get up. Unless you do?”

“Mm. I’m good, too. I had some trouble sleeping last night… Nothing new there, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to try for some more.”

“My poor snugglebun…” Carlos slipped the pillow back underneath his head where it belonged, anyway, scientifically speaking, and tugged his boyfriend back into the sheets with him. “Come on. Maybe if we’re immobile for a prolonged period again, Khoshekh will come back. I need you to help me with that experiment, because I want to see if we can record the result.”

Cecil laughed. “You mean, you want to take a picture and post it on Tumblr?”

“And Snapchat.” Carlos smiled back, and kissed him on the nose, part a joking reward for correct interpretation, and part just because he wanted to. “That’s recording the result. I didn’t specify it would be for a journal. Anyway, I haven’t been able to publish anything in years. Most scientific publications are blocked for thought crimes here, and the discovery is its own reward. The kittens are a nice bonus.”

“True, true. Fair enough." Cecil wrapped a leg over Carlos’, and tugged him closer. The scientist shifted obligingly, humming softly. The radio host mused, "Well, you know, I’m very into science _and_ cats, so that seems like a win-win situation to me.”


End file.
